Physical Geography

What is physical geography?

the study of the processes that shape the Earth's surface, the animals and plants that inhabit it, and the spatial patterns they exhibit.

What is geography?

the study of the physical features of the earth and its atmosphere, and of human activity as it affects and is affected by these, including the distribution of populations and resources, land use, and industries.

Atmosphere

the whole mass of air surrounding the earth

Hydrosphere

all of earth’s water, including surface water like ocean and lakes, groundwater, and water in the atmosphere.

Lithosphere

The rigid, outermost shell of a rocky planet, including the crust and the brittle, upper portion of the mantle.

Biosphere

the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth (or analogous parts of other planets) occupied by living organisms.

Cryosphere

the portion of the Earth’s surface where water is in its frozen form.

Latitude

measures the distance north or south of the equator.

Parallels:

Equator: 0

Tropic of Cancer: 23.5

Tropic of Capricorn: 23.5

North Pole: 90

North Pole: 90

Artic Circle: 66.5

Antarctic Circle 66.5

Longitude

longitude is a geographical coordinate that measures east-west distance, and meridians are the lines that define this measurement.

Meridians:

Prime: 0

Axial Tilt

angle between a planet’s rotational axis and its orbital plane.

earth’s axial tilt: 23.4

Seasons

each of the four divisions of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) marked by particular weather patterns and daylight hours, resulting from the earth's changing position with regard to the sun.

Scale

The scale on a map is a ratio, indicating how many real-world units are represented by one unit on the map. 

Small is large area less detail

Large is small are more detail

Map Projection

the representation on a plane surface of any part of the surface of the earth or a celestial sphere.

Mercator

A cylindrical map projection that’s widely used for navigation, especially in nautical charts.

It's known for preserving angles and shapes, ideal for plotting courses of constant bearing as straight lines. Distorts the size of landmasses, especially at higher latitudes, making them appear larger.

Compromise

seeks to balance or compromise between different aspect of a map accuracy, like shape, area, and distance, rather than preserving one perfectly.

GPS (Global Positioning System)

a satellite-based navigation system that provides precise location and time information anywhere on Earth.

GIS (Geographic Information Systems")

a computer system that analyzes and displays geographically referenced information.

Remote Sensing

the process of detecting and monitoring the physical characteristics of an area by measuring its reflected and emitted radiation at a distance

Sun

the star around which the earth orbits.

Infrared

a type of radiant energy that's invisible to human eyes but that we can feel as heat.

Ultraviolet (UV)

a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than visible light, but longer than X-rays.

Visible Light

the electromagnetic radiation that humans can see.

Insolation

exposure to the sun's rays.

radiation located on a single item.

Electromagnetic spectrum

the full range of electromagnetic radiation, organized by frequency or wavelength.

Troposhere

the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere, is characterized by a decreasing temperature with increasing altitude and contains the air we breathe and the clouds we see.

It is primarily composed of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), argon, water vapor, and carbon dioxide, and accounts for roughly 75% of the Earth's atmospheric mass. 6 miles from Earth’s Surface

Stratosphere

the second layer of Earth's atmosphere, located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere.

30 miles from Earth’s surface

Mesosphere

lies between the thermosphere and the stratosphere.

53 miles from Earth’s Surface.

Thermosphere

a layer of Earth's atmosphere located above the mesosphere and below the exosphere.

Ozone Layer

a region in the Earth's stratosphere that contains a high concentration of ozone, which acts as a shield against harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.

25 miles above surface.

Weather

the state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc.

Temperature

the degree or intensity of heat present in a substance or object, especially as expressed according to a comparative scale and shown by a thermometer or perceived by touch.

Heat

the quality of being hot; high temperature.

Energy

the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat and light.

Albedo

an expression of the ability of surfaces to reflect sunlight (heat from the sun).

High albedo, dark surface, absorbs sun

Low albedo, light surface, reflects sun

Negative Feedback

the system adjusting itself in ways which lessen or cancel out the effect of an initial disruption.

Positive Feedback

amplifies an initial change, leading to a further increase in the same direction.

Orographic effect

the impact of mountains on weather, specifically how they force air to rise and cool, leading to changes in precipitation.

Creates Snow or Rain

Lee or Leeward

synonymous terms referring to the side sheltered from the wind. It's the opposite of the windward side, which is the side facing the wind. 

Windward

he side or direction from which the wind is blowing. It's the upwind side of an object, like a mountain or island, and typically receives more rainfall.

Fahrenheit

of or denoting a scale of temperature on which water freezes at 32° and boils at 212° under standard conditions

Celsius

a temperature scale where water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees.

States of Matter

state of matter is one of the distinct forms in which matter can exist. Four states of matter are observable in everyday life: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.

Convection

a process where heat is transferred through the movement of fluids (liquids or gases).

Conduction

the transfer of energy, typically heat or electricity, through direct contact between objects or particles.

Evaporation

the process of turning from liquid into vapor.

Condensation

water which collects as droplets on a cold surface when humid air is in contact with it.

Deposition

the laying down of sediment carried by wind, flowing water, the sea or ice.

Sublimation

the transition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas state, without passing through the liquid state.

Latent Heat

energy transferred in a process without change of the body's temperature

Wind Circulation

the direction from which the wind is blowing. It's not the direction the wind is moving towards, but rather the direction from which it originates.

Wind Belts

The winds that flow from these high to low-pressure zones are permanent and are called prevailing winds.

Coriolis Effect

circulating air is deflected toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere

Barometer

an instrument measuring atmospheric pressure, used especially in forecasting the weather and determining altitude.

Tropical Latitudes

refer to the region on Earth between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° S). This area is characterized by warm temperatures and high rainfall, with the exception of some tropical savanna climates.

Middle Latitudes

geographical regions on Earth between the tropics and the polar circles, roughly between 30° and 60° north and south of the equator. They include Earth's subtropical and temperate zones, characterized by distinct seasonal changes and a mix of weather systems. 

High Latitudes

areas near the North and South Poles, generally between 60 and 90 degrees latitude.These regions are characterized by very cold temperatures, low humidity, and significant seasonal changes in daylight.

Altitude

the height of a point or object above a reference datum, typically sea level.

Continentality

a measure of the difference between continental and marine climates characterized by the increased range of temperatures that occurs over land compared with water.

Relative Humidity

the amount of water vapor present in air expressed as a percentage of the amount needed for saturation at the same temperature.

Precipitation

water released from clouds in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, or hail

Hail

pellets of frozen rain which fall in showers from cumulonimbus clouds.

Sleet

a form of precipitation consisting of ice pellets, often mixed with rain or snow.

Freezing Rain

occurs when the layer of freezing air is so thin that the raindrops do not have enough time to freeze before reaching the ground.

Air mass

a large body of air with generally uniform temperature and humidity.

Continental Polar (cP), cold dry Canada or Alaska

Continental Arctic (cA), Colder Dryer, artic

Maritime Polar (mP), Cold Moist, Bay Area

Maritime Tropical (mT), Warm Moist, Caribbean

Continental Tropical (cT). Warm Dry, Mexico

Front

a boundary between two air masses of different densities.

Cold, blue triangles (cold air)

Warm, red semicircle (warm air)

Stationary, alternating blue triangles and red semicircles (warm and cold air are stationary)

Occluded, purple semi circle and triangles (Cold air overtakes warm air and makes storms)

Hurricane

a storm with a violent wind, in particular a tropical cyclone in the Caribbean.

Midlatitude Cyclone

a synoptic scale low pressure system that has cyclonic (counter-clockwise in northern hemisphere) flow that is found in the middle latitudes

Tornado

a mobile, destructive vortex of violently rotating winds having the appearance of a funnel-shaped cloud and advancing beneath a large storm system.

Microburst

a small, intense, and short-lived downburst of wind that spreads outward from a thunderstorm

Koppen System of Climate Classification

a widely used empirical system for classifying climates based on temperature and precipitation data.

divides climates into five main climate groups:

A (tropical),

B (arid),

C (temperate),

D (continental), and

E (polar).

The second letter indicates the seasonal precipitation type, while the third letter indicates the level of heat.

Climographs

a time-based graph that presents a location's average temperature and precipitation.

Rainforest

a luxuriant, dense forest rich in biodiversity, found typically in tropical areas with consistently heavy rainfall.

Forest

a large area covered chiefly with trees and undergrowth.

Grassland, woodland

a large area covered chiefly with trees and undergrowth.

Savanna

a grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees.

Savannazation

when lush rainforest gives way to a drier, open landscape that resembles savanna but is actually degraded forest

deforestization

Desert

region of land that is very dry because it receives low amounts of precipitation

Tundra

a treeless biome characterized by cold temperatures, short growing seasons, and permafrost (permanently frozen ground)

High Latitude

Taiga

a moist northern forest that consists mostly of cone-producing trees (as pines, spruces, and firs) and begins where the tundra ends.

Fresh water

naturally occurring water that is not salty, and is suitable for consumption if clean or processed.

Salt Water

naturally occurring salty water, especially seawater, or water to which salt has been added.

Groundwater

water that exists underground in saturated zones beneath the land surface.

Surface Water

all the water bodies present on the Earth's surface, from small ponds to vast oceans and everything in-between.

Glaciers

a large, slow-moving mass of ice formed from the accumulation and compaction of snow over many years

Sea Ice

frozen seawater that floats on the ocean surface.

Rivers & Streams

river for the largest of these flowing bodies of water while creek is used for the smallest and stream often applies to waterways that are in between

Oceans

the vast body of saltwater that covers nearly 71% of Earth's surface.

Pacific Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

Artic

Indian

South Antarctic

Tides

the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon

Ocean Currents

the continuous, predictable, directional movement of seawater driven by gravity, wind (Coriolis Effect), and water density

Carbon dioxide

naturally occurring gas in the Earth's atmosphere, and a major greenhouse gas. It's primarily released through the burning of fossil fuels, but also from natural sources like animal respiration, decomposition, and volcanic eruptions. Major sources of CO2 emissions include transportation, electricity generation, industrial processes, and land use changes. 

Biome

an area classified according to the species that live in that location.

Ecosystem

a community of organisms and their physical environment interacting together

Succession

succession refers to the gradual process of change in an ecosystem over time after a disturbance,

Disturbance

a disturbance is an event that causes a large and rapid change in the ecosystem.

Anthropogenic

(chiefly of pollution or environmental change) originating in human activity.

Wildlife crossing

the umbrella term encompassing underpasses, overpasses, ecoducts, green bridges, amphibian/small mammal tunnels, and wildlife viaducts

Crust

outermost shell of a terrestrial planet. Earth's crust is generally divided into older, thicker continental crust and younger, denser oceanic crust.

Mantle

a thick layer of semi-solid rock located between the crust and the outer core, largest layer.

Outer Core

a liquid mix of elements, mostly iron and nickel, with smaller amounts of silicon and oxygen.

Inner Core

the innermost layer of the Earth. It has several unique properties that help distinguish it from the other layers.